Hajj 2019: application process announced; sea route may be revived

Mumbai: The Haj Committee of India announced on Wednesday that the applications for the next year’s Haj pilgrimage will be accepted online from Thursday. This year the process will be fully digital. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi informed that the pilgrimage will be completely free of subsidy. The Union government scrapped the subsidy earlier this year.

The Haj Committee of India, under the aegis of Minority Affairs Ministry, arranges for the annual Haj pilgrimage to Makkah for pilgrims from the country.

Speaking at the Central Haj House, Mr Naqvi revealed that the online application process for the Hajj 2019 will start from October 18 and end on November 17. He said, the process of tender for choosing airlines to carry the pilgrims will be completed by November, and the accommodation-related process in Makkah and Medina will be completed by December-January. Naqvi assured that accommodation rates in Saudi Arabia would be the same as 2018.